AAP has its eyes set on Punjab polls, not of Assam

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, February 14: Will the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contest the Assam Assembly elections in 2016? According to reports, the party has its eyes set on the Punjab Assembly polls in 2017, and not Assam, Bihar and West Bengal that are up for Assembly elections in 2016.

Talking to newsmen in the city, AAP's Assam committee spokesman Monurom Gogoi said that after the landslide victor of the AAP in Delhi, the party would like to fight the Assembly elections in Assam actively, and would be a force to reckon with.

Contrary to this claim, the tiol leaders of the party spoke otherwise. They are not eager to fight elections in Assam, Bihar or West Bengal now. The main reason they show is lack of organizatiol strength in these state now. Their thrust now is to strengthen their organizations. They, sources said, however want to fight the Assembly elections in Punjab in 2017.

Meanwhile, hailing the statement of AAP's tiol party leaders, Assam AAP joint coorditor Bhaben Handique said: "The AAP isn't a power-hungry party. The party has emerged to give a meaningful altertive party to the tion, and to make that happen, the party lays stress on organization, not poll."       

Party leader Arvind Kejriwal is not willing to repeat the mistake of Lok Sabha election when AAP contested in over 400 seats but bagged only four - all from Punjab. While Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee see a prospective anti-BJP partner in AAP, Kejriwal, sources said, has no plans to forge such a partnership. AAP welcomed support from the JD(U), Trimool Congress and the Samajwadi Party in the wake of its massive victory.

While Bihar goes to polls in the latter part of this year, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry are slated for elections in 2016. In 2017, apart from Punjab, elections will be held in Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa.